Wednesday, March 27, 2013

We went out to dinner the other night at Jake's which is a beach front restaurant located in Del Mar. I have eaten here before but have not blogged about them as far as I can tell.

They offer a gluten free menu which you can view here. And they are very helpful and accommodating.

Tonight Avi was our server and he was super helpful and knowledgeable. I also asked to speak to the manager, which I usually do, and he came to the table and was very understanding and knew the menu well.

For my appetizer I had the layered seafood cocktail which is made with lobster, shrimp, avocado and an orange chili sauce. I inquired about the sauce and all components are safe. This was fresh, clean and super good. The chili sauce was a nice balance to the creaminess of the avocado.

For dinner I had the lamb. This was coated with mustard and spices (what spices? chili powder, coriander, ginger, garlic, jalapeno, garam masala and fenugreek). It was served with a sauce made with greek yogurt, mint, cumin, coriander, garlic, chili flakes, lemon, honey and roasted red pepper. This was served with white beans, tomatoes and swiss chard. I was told all was safe and the chef serves it to friends with wheat allergies and they have no issues. This was delicious. The lamb was cooked perfectly, the sauce was a nice blend and added a bit of heat and the tomato, bean an chard was a good accompaniment.

I would recommend going back. If you are visiting you can't beat the view of the pacific ocean. Did I mention that the restaurant is right on the beach and a great place to watch the sunset.

If only I could get them to make a gluten free Oreo cookie crust to make the hula pie gluten free then life would be perfect.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Not really but I found a great new snack GONE NUTS! which is made by the company Living Intentions. They make raw and sprouted nut blends with what they describe as "BIG flavor".

I found these at my local Jimbo's food store and I have seen them at Whole Foods too. All of the flavors I have found are GF

I first tried the Rosemary Garlic Pistachios & Almonds and these are my favorite. They definitely have garlic and rosemary covering the nuts. You can smell it when you open the bag and if you devour the bag your significant other will notice it on your breath so I wouldn't recommend it before a date - you might not make the best impression when it comes to your breath. They contain: pistachios, almonds, garlic, onion, chilies, scallions, olive oil, rosemary and salt.

I have also had their Sesame Terriyaki Almonds & Cashews that is made with tamari. These are pretty good but too tamari for me. I also tried the Spicy Chipotle Pistachio & Pumpkin Seed. This one is spicy so make sure you have water handy.

Its a great snack to keep in the car, in a backpack, at work or on the go.

Monday, March 18, 2013

I had a fishing trip planned to Coastal Oregon through SoCal Fly Fishing and guided by Rob Crandall of Watertime Outfitters. We went up for winter steelhead which are a tough fish to catch. I had a great time, learned a lot and hooked one fish but it jumped and twisted and rolled and I lost it so I don't have a picture to show off - maybe next time.

What about the food?

I did bring a bunch of stuff - oatmeal, bars, tunafish, chocolate bars and applesauce packets. When I arrived in Portland I stopped at two GF bakery/cafe and Whole Foods.

First on the trip was Tula Bakery. This is a dedicated GF bakery and cafe that is very close to the airport. I had their banana bread which was very good, moist and tasty. Next up was a blueberry tart with oats which was very good too.

I also had a ham and cheese roll which was a cross between a stromboli and a crepe. This was super delicious and if I wasn't full I would have eaten a second. I picked up a sea salt chocolate chip cookie that was supposed to be good but I didn't care for the texture. Overall their food was very good and a great place to hit after getting off a plane in Portland.

Next up Whole Foods. There are a number of Whole Foods in and around Portland. My main agenda was to find Harvest Brewing beer. I was able to pick up their IPA and their Dark Ale. Their Dark Ale is made with roasted chestnuts which give off a chocolately-coffee like flavor. It was good but 22 oz was a little much. I was thinking mixed with a scoop of GF cappuccino chip ice cream it would be great. Their IPA was off the wall. I have found good GF beer in New Planets Off Grid and Epics' Glutenator but this has to be my favorite GF beer yet. It just tasted like an IPA not a GF IPA. It was so good I plan on ordering a case.

Stop number three was New Cascadia Traditional Bakery. Another dedicated GF bakery/cafe. I picked up a muffin and chocolate cupcake for the next day and although a day old when I ate them they were both delicious. I made my way there for lunch and had a pepperoni pizza. This was out of this world. The crust was a pizza crust, not a crisp cracker like some GF doughs and it had the right amount of "chew." What really made it great was the tomato sauce - incredible.

From Portland I headed west to the town of Nehalem. This is a small coastal town north of Tillamook and south of Sea Side. I was lucky enough to find The Pizza Garden in Nehalem on Find Me Gluten Free. I called in advance and the woman I spoke with was super helpful, assured me that they are very cautious and has a gluten sensitivity herself. When I arrived I met her as well as the owner who has a background in nutrition. You will not go hungry here.

They have GF crusts and you can have all of the pizza except the meatball pizza. They make GF soup from scratch. You can have pasta and lasagna - they use Tinkyada. They also serve GF beer. I had the pizza and ate the leftovers for lunch the days that I was fishing.

I will stop back here every time I am in the area and you should too. The view of the Nehalem river is a nice site while you enjoy your meal.

There you have it - Gluten Free in Oregon. I have some plans for some more fishing trips and I'll keep you up to date with what I find.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

We went out a few weeks ago with friends and we decided to go to Saltbox. I have posted about them here and here. Both of those go into a lot of detail so I won't bore you with the same background information.

I had a great meal that was made better by great company.

I had the brussel sprout salad which I have had before. When you order this item GF it should not have fried parsley on it (it is deep fried in a fryer used for gluten containing items). This was good as usual.

Next I had the pumpkin soup. This was good, rich and creamy. It was served with a chesnut cream and herb oil. The broth they use is made in house from scratch and gluten free - I asked.

Next up was my entree. I had the Jidori Chicken. I have had the Jidori chicken before prepared in a different way that was GF so I was surprised to see it listed on the menu as TG (trace gluten). I asked our server and she said the reason they list it as TG is because they confit the leg and the oil is not GF. I asked further about the truffle grits that is served with the dish. They checked and told me they use Hodgson Mills and it lists that it is made on a lined shared with wheat so they would omit the grits. They roasted the breast and leg and it was very good.

For desert I had their Pot de creme which is made in house from scratch. It is a favorite of mine.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Roy's has had a makeover and it started in La Jolla. The famous Roy's has been relabeled Roy Yamaguchi's Pacific Rim Cuisine. We have been fans of Roy's and frequent the restaurant in La Jolla. You can my previous post here. They did a complete makeover of the restaurant and upon walking in it really is nice, modern, open and inviting. Brian, the manager, was glad to see us and seemed really happy with the new makeover.

Tim, our waiter, was very helpful and he brought me the Gluten Free menu that you can see below.

I was able to talk with Charles, the new chef, and he was very knowledgeable. They are working on going to tamari instead of soy sauce and converting other things to GF. They found a GF Ko Chu Jang Sauce that they use on the Bi Bim Bap.

I was excited to have the Bi Bim Bap. I used to really like this but have not had it since being diagnosed. If you haven't had this you are missing out. It is a korean dish of rice with vegetables, egg and chili sauce. You mix it all up and the silkiness of the egg blends it all together. The heat of the chili sauce goes great with the vegetables. Did I like it? I devoured it.

For dinner I had the trout. The sauce was made with fresh juice, mustard, oil and some tamari sauce. It was simple and good. Pan roasted vegetables and pan roasted trout that was delicious dipped in the sauce.

For dessert. I had the chocolate soufflé of course.

I think you'll like the new decor and atmosphere, and the food is great too,

Sunday, March 3, 2013

I saw this chili sauce and found out that it is made from a few simple ingredients and it was naturally gluten free. What is it, you may ask? Lingham's Sauce. It is a chili sauce made in Malaysia and it is made from chili, sugar, vinegar and salt. I have used it on rice, vegetables and meats.

That's not so special you might think. Well, that is not my special sauce - it is just one part. For the rest of the sauce you need 3 more things.

Item number one - GF Unagi Sauce. I have not been able to find a GF version so I make it myself. This is the sweet, sticky sauce you get on Unagi (eel) at the sushi restaurant. It goes great on rice by itself.

To make this you add equal parts (I usually do a 1/2 cup of each) of GF soy sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar. Simmer this over low heat until it starts to thicken. Notice I said starts because if you are looking for the consistency you want on the stove it will be too thick - it will continue to thicken when you take it off the heat.

Item number two is sweet chili sauce. We use the Trader Joe's brand. This goes great on top of steamed broccoli.

Item number three is sesame oil.

So now you have the ingredient for the special sauce, this is what you do. Mix together:
1/4 Cup Lingham's Chili Sauce
1/4 Cup GF Unagi Sauce
1/4 Cup Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil

Now what do you do with it? Anything. Here are some of my favorites.

I marinade salmon in the sauce for a few hours, but the longer the better. Cook it in the oven at 375 for 20 - 30 minutes depending on how big the filet is. I served this with rice and bok choy that I saute with garlic and ginger with a drizzle of GF soy sauce.

Option two is grilled chicken. Grill one side and when you flip it baste the top side. I flip it one more time before I remove it from the grill to baste the second side and lightly char the sauce due to the sugar. I served this with grilled asparagus that I finished with fresh lemon juice and salt.

Option three. Toast some cashews (you could use peanuts). Pan fry some shrimp. In a bowl combine the cashews, shrimp, carrots, daikon radish if you have it, scallions and the special sauce. Top with toasted sesame seeds.